It's going to be a day of in-and-out and quick changes with jackets on and off. It starts early.
We wake up at half past seven, and after showering, we head to the Lido for breakfast. Before I finish my meal, one of the crew members informs us that the bow is open after the captain announces that there are interesting sights to see because we have arrived at Paradise Harbour. Time to pack up and go. I leave the rest of my breakfast untouched. We wonder if the bow is truly open because it's snowing heavily, and the visibility is not great.
It is open, and it's like a mirror. We're surprised because yesterday it wasn't nearly as bad, and it didn't happen. We cautiously shuffle towards the edge. About ten Indonesian crew members are ready with squeegees to clean the deck. Most of them, along with some other crew members, have never seen snow before, and they're quite delighted by it. They stand side by side, counting in Indonesian: satu, dua, tiga (one, two, three), laughing and singing as they work their way across. They could keep at it because by the time they reach the end, it's covered again, but they're having a great time.
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| The windows of The Crow's Nest are being cleaned from above |
It is completely calm, so not as cold. I see two birds flying above each other, and one of them is flying upside down. It takes me a moment to realize that it's the reflection on the water. The water is so still. I'm too amazed to take a photo, unfortunately.
Indeed, Paradise Harbour lives up to its name because it's very beautiful. The snow is easing up, it's getting lighter, and there are plenty of penguins. As if that wasn't enough, whales join the scene. They're all around us, at least six of them. A few are quite close to the boat. We are thrilled. Later, we hear that there might have been a Fin whale among them, which would be exciting because they are quite rare. Their dorsal fin sits much further back on their body compared to humpback whales, which have theirs closer to the middle of their back.
At 11 o'clock, we attend the daily update and Q&A session by Jim and Neil, as usual. Jim mentions that at the end of the cruise, we will receive a map showing all the places we visited in Antarctica. Additionally, we can have their photos, along with the beautiful ones provided by the guests, saved onto a USB stick.
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| This are according to Jim Black and White pinguïns |
About 10 minutes before it ends, we hear the captain making another announcement in the distance. It's a pity that these announcements aren't audible everywhere (or clearly). We catch something about starboard and Neko Harbour, our next destination. Somewhat irreverently, we leave the room prematurely and head outside.
It's dry and much lighter now. Here's an iceberg, officially classified as such when it reaches 5 meters or higher, with a group of penguins perched on top. We pass close by, capturing some delightful shots. What a beautiful environment once again.
For lunch, we head back to the Lido, where we can indulge in our new addiction. This one isn't so bad, and certainly not expensive: a soft serve ice cream after lunch.
Then Kevin announces that there are orcas. We rush downstairs for our jackets and then back up to the Lido Deck. We manage to catch a glimpse of them, but they're quite far away and moving very fast. There are three pods of about three orcas each. We cross our fingers that more will come. There's also supposed to be a seal, but due to the snow, which is falling heavily again, we can't spot it in the distance.
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Then it's off to the last stop for today. It's a fairly narrow inlet with high snow walls on both sides. It's a large ship, so narrow is relative, but it's still very beautiful. On the aft deck, we run into Ron, who initially doesn't recognize us, so bundled up are we. A little later, he comes out onto the deck with Ann by his side, saying he smuggled her out for a moment to see this. Nobody would recognize her, as she's even more bundled up than we are.
